The World Health Organisation (WHO) predicts that 300 million people (˜5% of today's population) will have developed type 2 diabetes in 2025. This means that a considerable amount of the population will suffer from various metabolic disturbances, such as the metabolic syndrome. The term “metabolic syndrome” has been debated, both as a clinical diagnosis and as a definition. Still it represents an alarming group of metabolic risk factors that identifies subjects at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Today there are three major criteria that are commonly accepted by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), those are measures of obesity, dyslipidaemia and insulin resistance. Each one of these risk factors is good predictor of cardiovascular disease. However, insulin resistance is considered as a key component of the metabolic syndrome since it predicts both type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Insulin secretion is necessary not only for maintaining glucose metabolism, but also for controlling lipid metabolism and vascular tone. Insulin resistance results in an imprecise regulation of the beta cells to maintain euglycaemia, leading to hyperinsulinaemia, which in turn severs the insulin resistance in major metabolic tissues and organs, like muscle, adipose tissue and liver and a vicious circle between insulin resistance and hyperinsulinaemia develops. The cause of insulin resistance is not fully understood and there are several genetic predispositions (genetic inheritance, polymorphisms), molecular factors, such as oxidative stress and various markers of inflammation that may interfere with insulin signaling.
Last but not least is the major impact of intensive lifestyle modifications, which in intervention studies have been found to delay or prevent the development of type 2 diabetes by 40-58%. The diet in these intervention studies aimed at weight reduction by reducing energy intake from fat, above all from saturated fat (partially replaced by monounsaturated fat) and was additionally rich in fiber, whole grain, vegetables, and fruits. The diet restrictions were accompanied by 30 min of physical activity a day. Physiological benefits with intensive lifestyle modifications are decreased body weight and blood pressure and improvements in insulin sensitivity and blood lipids. This will affect the whole spectrum of risk components and has been found to delay or prevent the development of diseases related to the metabolic syndrome.
In view of the above it is not surprising that a lot of effort has been engaged in the research of the mechanisms behind the above mentioned diseased as well as to find new ways to prevent, alleviate or treat these diseases.
Foods causing low insulin responses are considered favorable since high insulin levels (hyperinsulinemia) after a meal are risk factors for the development of diseases within the metabolic syndrome (cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and obesitas). Thus, foods causing lower insulin levels in the human body would be beneficial to humans in the industrialized part of the world where problems with cardiovascular diseases such as type 2 diabetes, obesitas and the metabolic syndrome are growing.
In accordance with the present invention, novel ways to treat and prevent such diseases have been found.